Do You Hate Running? Here Are Three Steps To LOVE It
Many people tell me they don’t like or even hate running. The most common 3 reasons I get when I ask them why (but not the only) are:
1. It’s boring
2. It’s difficult (running out of breath)
3. It’s painful (on the joints, muscles)
If you feel you don’t like running because of the reasons above or other reasons (let me know which) here’s how you can overcome them:
1. It’s boring
I don’t blame you. Running can be really boring when you’re just…….running. Unless you reach “the zone”, which requires time and practice.
So to counter that here’s what I do. I take my clients through drills such as breathing techniques, fluidity in running, relaxation while running (yes, that’s possible and recommended) and posture.
Bringing mindfulness into running makes it a lot more enjoyable. And it’s not me saying this, but my clients themselves.
[tweetthis]Bringing #mindfulness into #running makes it a lot more enjoyable.[/tweetthis]
2. It’s difficult (running out of breath)
It’s true that if you run out of breath after running for a few minutes there’s not fun or enjoyment in running. You need patience and consistency to overcome that.
Ooor you could do breathing exercises three minutes before you fall asleep. Don’t tell me you don’t have time. No one falls asleep within three seconds from placing their head on the pillow. If that’s the case then that’s not good.
Three minutes before falling asleep do a breathing technique. Here’s one to get you going. Do it for two weeks, ever week, religiously and you will see improvements. Do it for longer than three minutes and the progress will be even greater.
Triangle breathing technique:
Imagine an equilateral triangle. It has 3 equal sides
• BREATHE IN through your nose on a count of 4.
• HOLD on a count of 4.
• BREATHE OUT through your nose on a count of 4.
• No hold after this one. Repeat
If 4 sec is too much take it down to 3 or 2. If it’s too little take it up.
Note: make sure that when you breathe in you breathe into your stomach (making the stomach big) and when you breathe out you squeeze your stomach, pulling your belly button towards your spine. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
After you increase your lung capacity running will not be a nightmare anymore.
At the end of this blog post you have 2 other breathing techniques if you need progressions. But believe me if you go up to 10-20 sec with the triangle you won’t need any progression.
3. It’s painful (on the joints, muscles)
Ok here’s a real pain. Literally. Although we’ve been designed to walk long distances and to run, that’s what history of evolution shows us, and although we have such amazing technology around and comfy shoes we still experience loads of running related injuries. Ever wondered why?
Here’s the thing. Any sport you practice can lead to injuries, whether we’re talking about running or not. So let’s leave the running leads to injury part and see how we can reduce the pain you feel so you enjoy running.
It’s simple really. Technique, mindfulness, breathing, fluidity and posture. Five elements that will take the stress off your joints and make you not run but glide over the ground (won’t promise you will levitate though)
[tweetthis] Five elements that will take the stress off your joints and make you not #run but glide over the ground[/tweetthis]
A good running technique looks at the following major components:
• posture
• stride and pace
• landing and kick off
• using gravity instead of brute force
• arm movement, angle and hand position
• leg and foot movement
• hips movement
• breathing rhythm
[tweetthis]A good #RunningTechnique looks at the following major components:[/tweetthis]
Read my blog post on What Can Running Do For You and you will understand what I am talking about.
Need advice on your running, get in touch.
